Antiparasitic agent and agency



Jan- 21, 1935- o. v. HUFFMAN ANTIPARSITIC AGENT AND AGENCY Filed July11, 1935 INVENTOR.`

0th) VHufiman RN s.

Cy ATTO Patented Jan. 2l, 1936 UNITED STATES Vl-"ATENT oFFlcr;

2 Claims.

This invention relates principally to the extermination of harmfulinsects and plane growths by the use of parasiticides or prophylactics.More particularly, it provides improved means for the spraying orspreading of such agents in a cloud form by explosive means.

Heretofore, spraying has been done in two ways. In a wet spray, asolution or mixture of water and an anti-parasitic agent isused.Equipment for this Work includes the use of protective clothing, pumps,ladders and considerable labor. Dry dusting or spraying seems to producebetterresults but requires more careful application and involves morerisk to the operator to whom the agents used may be poisonous. Whichevermethod is used'requires the close presence of the operator and directapplication from a nearby point. The expense of the equipment and laborconsiderably increases costs.

The object of this invention is to provide a new Way of disseminating anexterminating agent or prophylactic agent by an explosive charge. Afurther object is to eiect a controlled spreading preferably in a cloudform, for the area to be treated and commencing at apoint remote fromthe operator. Another object is to vmake up an anti-parasitic agent in anew and improved form and manner. invention that the agent is preferablydisseminated by means of any type of firearm.

In a preferred form of the invention, the antiparasitic agent which isoriginally in powdered form, is compressed and loaded into a shotgunshell to occupy all that space which would formerly be taken up by theshot and various wads. Preferably the compressing of the powderedantiparasitic agent is done directly in the gun cartridges by well-knownloading machines. When such a shell is fired, the detonation projectsthe exterminating agent an approximately calculated distance and thenbreaks it down into a cloud of ultrafine particles, whereas, heretofore,immediate dispersion of the powdered agent has been the only resultdesired. The point at which the agent flies into ultra-fine particlesdepends in a measure upon the moisture content, because the drier thecompressed agent, the sooner it will break up, and upon the amount andtype of compressing done. Thus a solidstick will ordinarily ily furtherbefore disintegrating when it is composed of compressed powder andbinding material than when of powder alone or powder and agglomeratedparticles. In a simpler form of the invention the explosive and theanti- It is an important feature of this (Cl. B- 12) parasitic agent arecompressed together and detonation will immediately disperse the agent.

Actual tests of the invention have shown some interesting phenomena. Forexample, a 12-gauge shell can be loaded with enough exterminating 5powder to effect the same coverage as an amount between one and twogallons of spray will do. Again, by placing trays containing a chemicalindicator at various points in a tree, it was conclusively demonstratedthat the red particles 10 penetrated everywhere. So fine was the dustproduced, that it found its way inside of curled leaves. Upon firing,almost immediately at some distance from the operator a cloud wouldform, and under favorable conditions would hang sus- 15 pended andcompletely envelope a` large tree. It

is thought that the suspension is so fine that certain exterminatingagents such as lead arsenate enter the spiracles of insects and begincorrosive action in that way, as well as settle on the foliage. Someinsecticides which are not designed to poison by being eaten merely clogthe spiracles. Again, under certain conditions moisture was added toobtain almost a mud which splattered when fired. Such splattering willreach inaccessible branches and limbs as distinguished from the foliage.Then, when two powders are used, it has also been found that the heaviershould be in front to obtain the greater distance before dispersion.

Important advantages result from the usev ofthis invention. No equipmentand no labor are required. It is an easy matter to load shells with theproperly compressed anti-parasitic agents. By proportioning a binder andan agent a good degree of control as to the point where the parasiticideor exterminating agent begins to break up and Spread is obtained. Theultrane dust reaches everywhere and may be directed into the area to betreated from any point. Finally, the new improvements are quicker inoperation and more effective. Other objects and advantages will appearfrom the following description and drawing, in which:

In Fig. l is shown in diagrammatic view a preferred method of carryingout the objects of this invention; in Fig. 2 is shown in cross-section ashotgun shell loaded in one manner with a preferred anti-parasiticagent; in Fig. 3 is shown a similar shell in cross-section and loadedwith a compressed agent; and in Figs. 4 and 5 are shown other types ofanti-parasitic charges.

Referring to the drawing, IU indicates the usual shot chamber of a gunshell and provided with a cup Il and a primer I2. At the base of theshell,

in the interior thereof, is to be found the usual powder charge I3. Inthe usual shotgun shell, the shot chamber would contain a powder wad,two felt wads,A shot and would be sealed with a shot wad at the top heldin place by crimped edges of the case similar to the crimped edges I4 ofchamber I0. In this invention, the wads and shot are replaced by ananti-parasitic agent which may take many forms depending upon the amountof control which the operator wishes to exercise. Such an operator isindicated in Fig. l at I5, who holds in his hand a firearm I6 from whichhe fires by means of the prepared shells, slugs or loads of theantiparisitic agent contained within the chambers I0 of the shell.Assuming a tree II to be treated or sprayed, the operator I5 may,depending upon the character of the agent and the manner in which it isprepared, cause the agent to break up at a point such as I8, therebyforming a cloud of particles I9 which will move into the foliage of thetree I1. On a day in which there is no wind or in case the operatorwishes to make certain that the dust or powder will settle upon the topsurfaces of the leaves of the tree, he may elevate the gun I6 and byusing a charge of the proper agent having a slightly dif ferentcharacter, the operator I5 can delay dispersion of the charge until thepoint 20 is reached. Thereafter the formed cloud 2I will settle asdesired and as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1. It will be noted that atno time is there any likelihood of the operator I5 becoming enveloped bythe clouds of dust particles which are formed because of the fact thatdispersion does not take place until points such as I8 and 20, which areremote from the operator, are reached. If the operator makes dueallowance for the wind, he can bymeans of this invention reach anyportion of any area to be treated in any manner and from any directionhe may wish while at the same time he himself remains at a distance fromsuch area.

vIn controlling the points at which dispersion of the cloud of activeparticles begins to form, the manner in which the charges are preparedis important. Thus in Fig. 2 is to be found a charge comprising twotablets 22 of an exterminating or preventive agent mixed with somebinding material and pressed into wad or tablet form. Between these twotablets, positioned as shown, a certain amount 23 of the agent is packedbetween the tablets 22. By proper compression of the powdered agent itis possible to put twice as much in a. single cartridge by weight thanwould be the case without such compression. Portion 23 receivesconsiderable compression between the two tablets 22 at the instant ofexplosion, depending largely upon the character of the explosive used.

A type of charge, in which it was desired to hold together for aconsiderable distance before the formation of the cloud begins, is to befound in Fig. 3 in which a stick 24 of the exterminating or preventiveagent is compactly compressed and loaded into the chamber I0 of theshell. The drier the charge 24, the sooner it will begin to break up anddisperse. Likewise the more binder material, if any, mixed with theagent in the stick 24, the greater distance it will go before formationof a dust cloud begins. It is altogether possible to standardize suchcharges to begin dispersion at the definite interval away from theoperator I5, and such information could be plainly marked on the shell.In Fig. 4 is shown a charge comprising coarse particles 25 which havebeen made with a binding material and some of the agent in powdered formto fill up the spaces between the particles 25. The whole charge ascompressed and loaded has upon firing a characteristic which will carryit further than the charge shown in Fig. 2 and not quite so far as thecharge shown in Fig. 3. Likewise, in Fig. 5 is shown a cylinder, theexterior 26 comprising a mixture of an agent with a binding material andcontaining on the inside thereof at 21 a quantity of the compressedexterminating agent but without being mixed with any binder. Thiscylinder of compressed powder with a composition wall provides a meansfor overcoming friction in the gun barrel because talcum may be used onthe hardened surface and likewise may serve to conne corroding powders.Still another form of the invention is to combine an explosive and anantiparasitic agent in the shape of a stick for use with a detonatingcap and afuse. When a stick such as this is exploded, the anti-parasiticagent will be disseminated in an ultra-fine dust throughout the entirearea surrounding the place where the stick is exploded.

In the practice of this invention, the usual loading processes andpresent-day loading machines may be used for both lling and compressingthe powdered anti-parisitic agents in the cartridges. Furthermore, thecomposition wads comprising such an agent with a binderare capable ofbeing fed by the usual wad-feeding machines. Likewise, the same machinesfor crimping the edge of the cartridge to hold the charge in place maybe used in this invention.

. There are many modifications of this invention, particularly thosewhich may have to be made to suit the necessities of the case, and suchare expressly contemplated as coming within the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. An anti-parasitic charge for a gun cartridge comprising anintermixture of an explosive, a non-fiud anti-parasitic agent and abinder whereby said explosive and said agent are held together in oneunitary mass.

2. An anti-parasitic charge for a gun cartridge comprising a primer, apropelling explosive, a compressed anti-parasitic agent and wads at eachend of said compressed agent, said wads being composed of a quantityofthe self-same agent and a binder.

OTTO V. HUFFMAN.

